Career Transitions: Changing Jobs In Entertainment

Good Day, Young Traveler,

Welcome to the wonderful world of entertainment—a magical land where your coffee is cold, your deadlines are yesterday, and your job description changes every five minutes. But hey, at least we get a great view of the madness from under the industry’s giant, glittering umbrella.

I started this journey as a Stage Manager, much to the dramatic dismay of my design mentors.
“Why a stage manager?” they asked, with visible concern.
“You have the talents of a designer!”
I shrugged. “Yeah… but I want to be in charge.”
(Translation: I enjoy chaos, I like shouting into headsets, and I secretly believe I can control time and space.)

For 15 glorious, caffeine-fueled years, I stage-managed everything from deck to booth. One of my favorite projects? The premiere of Angels in America—185 scene changes. Yes, I counted. 185 scene changes with 4 volunteer stagehands.   Yes, I loved it. No, I didn’t sleep.

Then came the plot twist: mental illness entered stage left. Focus? Gone. Energy? Spotty. It was like trying to run cues while your headset keeps shorting out.

So, I pivoted. Enter: Wardrobe Management. (Because nothing says “pivot” like wrangling 47 pairs of sequined pants while someone cries over a missing button.)

But thanks to my SM training, the transition was surprisingly smooth. My left brain and right brain shook hands and got to work. And this shift eventually launched me into the cruise industry, where I got to see the world—five times over. (Yes, I counted that, too.)

Now, let’s talk transitions. Sometimes they’re not dramatic. Sometimes they’re sneakier:
A company cuts back.
You decide it’s time to start a family.
You randomly remember your childhood dream of becoming a jazz-funk puppeteer.

Point is: change happens. And in this industry? We practically schedule it.

So what do we do when change knocks—loudly, uninvited, and probably during tech week? We check our armor and remind ourselves of our self-worth and how do we do that?

Personal Growth

Know your worth. You’re gaining skills with every frantic email and midnight script revision.
Set goals, sure—but stay flexible.
And if things don’t go as planned? Great. That means something better might be brewing.
(Or at the very least, something different. Which, let’s face it, we love.)

Resilience

The show must go on—even if it’s in a different theater, on a different continent, with half the budget and one working mic.
Every challenge is a chance to level up your “I’ve got this” muscles.
Besides, you’ve already survived tech week and group warm-ups. You’re basically invincible.

Opportunities

Change has a twisted sense of humor—but sometimes, it’s the only way you’ll discover your next great chapter.
Lean in. Say yes. You never know what wild, beautiful thing is waiting in the wings.

Passion → Purpose → (New) Passion

Maybe your next act is starting a family, being a caregiver, or shifting gears entirely.
It’s hard. It’s messy. It’s also… totally doable.  That doesn’t mean the end of your creative path—it means a new one.

Use those creative skills—yes, the ones you honed making quick-change kits and solving crises with gaffer’s tape—to build something new.

Use your skills to reinvent:
Teach.
Coach.
Inspire.
Get involved in after-school programs.
Turn your passion into purpose—and soon, that purpose will ignite new passion.

And trust me, passion has a sneaky way of coming back in disguise.

Here’s the bottom line, Young Traveler:
Change isn’t your enemy—it’s just the universe’s way of keeping things interesting.
(Because apparently, we weren’t already entertained enough.)

So suit up in your well-earned armor, grab your toolbox, and get out there.
Your next act is waiting—and it’s going to be a showstopper.

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